I could see that. It probably doesn't help that most guys who use them scoop the shit out of their mids, crank the gain to 11, and smash the sound to hell.

Is this finished?

Not yet. That's thanks to a combination of weeks of house guests, holidays, and this being our busiest time of year at work. Next step is sanding a couple nibs from the black sides, clear coat spraying/curing/sanding, fret work, and assembly. The refinish time also took a hit when I decided to start taking lessons again.

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Better to take your time and do it right then to rush it.

All the "painting 101" instruction pages emphasize not sanding metallic paint before clear. You might think to yourself, "just gently taking off some dust with 1500 or 2000 grit would be ok." Don't think that. It's wrong. Very, very wrong.

Mid-misadventure musings:
1- I don't mind EMGs in some guitars & players. David Gilmour comes to mind.
2- If I'd picked up extra shifts at work in an equivalent number of hours spent so far, I'd have made enough to buy the PRS C22 Artist one of my colleagues is trying to sell me. I think I'll ask my wife for his guitar for our upcoming 15th wedding anniversary.

ETA: airbrush touch up of metal flake and subsequent clear coat on hold for cold weather. My space heater is too feeble to bring the garage temp up enough.

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It's polished, assembled, wired, and playable!

Will it win any awards for a high quality paint job? No. There are plenty of flaws and learning scars.

Does it look good from 3-6 feet away? I think so. I hit the back of the neck with clear lacquer and gave it a satin feel, and managed to preserve the serial number decal. The shiny line on the back is a reflection, not a big scratch.





Once the string and neck tension settle in, I'll tweak the action and consider doing a fret recrown. It's the only guitar I have that's not tuned to standard E. It's currently drop D since I've never messed with that, but I'll probably just go D standard since I'm still learning chord & scale shapes.

Congrats!

Now that's a metal guitar. :)